- King's Game -
by MetallicarBaby
Summary: When signs from the future come unbidden, the Fallen Prince of Asgard must decide if selling his freedom to a foreign Realm is worth the cost to redeem himself and turn the tides of Time to save the Universe and all he holds dear from his former "Master", the Mad Titan. -{Set directly after the events of Endgame in which AU Loki grabs the Tesseract and disappears}-
1. - Surrender -

_**In all our wrongs **__**I want to write him**_

_**In a time where I can find him**_

_**Before the tears that tore us**_

_**When our history was before us**_

_**-Lang Leav**_

* * *

He could have been free.

The "failed conqueror" had had the Tesseract within his grasp, and everyone else was distracted by an episode caused by who he knew to be two Avengers from the far future, though nobody else was the wiser...of course. He could have ran and left it all behind, and instead he was back right where he'd started, standing in front of the Avengers with his hands raised placatingly as he stared them down, daring them to make a move.

And why? Because he knew. He knew that if the Man of Iron and one of his fellow _heroes_ was here trying to retrieve the Space Stone, then that meant Loki's plan for the future had failed. Something within the time travelers' history had made the Avengers fall...before they had had a chance to fight _Him_. And that meant they'd lost. And many were likely dead. Including himself, Loki would wager, after he'd betrayed Him and discarded not one, but two of his "Master's" precious Infinity Stones. Which meant Loki needed a new plan. Only, he hadn't had time to really think things through before he'd decided to reappear before Earth's Mightiest Heroes and give himself up.

He'd just had a brief moment to glance into the Stone's knowledge, and discern that the best plan of action- at least for the time being- was, indeed, to surrender until he could plan something more thoroughly. Though it hadn't exactly taken the Stone to figure that one out. Loki hardly wanted to spend his time running and hiding from the Titan's gaze while he tried to divine a plan to stop him several years into the future. For now, he'd just have to play the repentant pawn, and hope his brother and the others fell for it.

"Now then, boys, really... Can't we just settle this like Gentlemen?" Loki, hands still raised in surrender, smirked- which he figured probably didn't help the case he was trying to build, but it was just too damn tempting.

Captain Rogers only glared in return. "I think pleasantries went out the window the moment you stabbed Agent Coulson, don't you?" Loki noticed the Captain shift his grip on his shield, most likely preparing for an attack from the Fallen Prince. A darting glance at the others and he knew they had also shifted their stances for the same purpose.

Loki scoffed. "Oh, please... He'll be back within the year, mark my works," he sneered, rolling his eyes. He really wasn't doing a good job of putting up his façade. He was going to have to try harder to contain his disdain if he hoped to pull this off.

His comment had made The Widow freeze, a look of surprise on her features. "What?"

Loki did his best to keep a look of triumph off his face. It really was enjoyable to catch her off guard like that. "Sorry, Darling, if I were to elaborate on that subject then it might not happen in the future, which would make this whole conversation rather awkward."

Stark narrowed his eyes. "Pompous way of saying he's lying," Tony stated, the arc in his hand beginning to glow just slightly with a low hum. Barton took that as his cue to notch an arrow, drawing his bow back in preparation for a shot aimed at where the Trickster's heart would be- '_If I had_ _one,'_ Loki thought to himself, almost amused by the notion.

"Now, now, let's not be hasty..." Loki took a small step back, wiping all snark from his features to school his face into a mask of innocence, but it seemed no one was ready to buy it. At least, not yet. "I'm willing to turn myself over for whatever punishment you see fit, but first I must ask for a moment of explanation."

"So you can mess with our heads?" Barton snapped, "Not happening."

"What Katniss said," Tony agreed, nodding towards the archer. His arc grew brighter and the team took a collective step forward. Loki could tell their patience had run thin, and he was running out of time to convince them to hear him out.

Taking another two steps back, he hurriedly spit out, "I'll submit to the dampening cuffs and return to a cell, if it pleases you. Just, please, for the love of Valhalla, hear me out." Loki sounded near frantic to his own ears. He hadn't planned on that tone of voice, but it seemed to do the trick. Something shifted in his brother's gaze, and Thor held up a hand to stop his new-found teammates.

"Wait."

Tony glanced sidelong at the Thunder god. "Buddy, I know he's your brother, or whatever, but he just wrecked half the city. Now's not the time for a heart-to-heart with tea and cookies."

"I swear on Mother's life; this is no trick for my benefit." Loki looked his brother right in the eyes, letting his guard lower just enough to let his brother see just a smidgen of how terrified Loki truly was. It was a difficult thing to do, to admit weakness to his life-long rival, but pride be damned. If Thanos got hold of the Stones in this timeline as well then they were all going to suffer a fatal blow, either by Thanos' hand or by losing someone they cared about to his insane plan. Loki _had _to make the Avengers see that. He _must_ save his Mother...and Thor. And if that meant letting these insufferable humans see a small bit of what Thanos was capable of at Loki's expense so they could defeat the Mad Titan in the future, then so be it. His humiliation would be worth it in the end, so long as his Mother was safe from his Puppeteer's schemes. "_Please_, ...brother. There are much bigger things at play here than just my own lust for power." Loki fought the urge to scowl as the endearment left his mouth, but it seemed to have the intended effect on Thor.

The Asgardian lowered his hammer and relaxed his shoulders, his sign of a truce, and Loki breathed a sigh of relief. If Thor was on bored, then it shouldn't take long for the god to convince his fellow band of heroes. Thor turned his back to Loki to face the others. "I say we agree to his terms. He'll be imprisoned and all we need do is listen for a short while. What can be the harm?"

"The _harm?_" Clint spat, clearly opposed to any sort of deal with Loki. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't he kill one of our guys the last time you took him prisoner?"

Thor shifted on his feet. "Yes...but now he has no army, no allies; no one to assist in an escape."

"That we know of..." Bruce mumbled in interjection, gripping his loose pants to keep them up.

Steve sighed, "I have to agree with Doctor Banner here, Thor. We don't know what he's got up his sleeves."

The Trickster watched the exchange between them with interest, his gaze darting between the male members of the team, as Romanoff seemed content to just listen for the moment. He _so_ wished she would decide to weigh in and get this whole childish business over with soon. He trusted her, at least, to think things through and come to a reasonable decision. But he was beginning to lose his own patience on the matter. With a roll of his eyes, Loki retorted, "I'm sorry, you four are arguing _against_ taking me into custody? If it pleases you more, I could just leave and find someone else who will be of help. You're not the only vigilantes in the universe..." He took a half step backwards, and all the other men paused in their arguments to draw their weapons. The room was silent for a long moment, the heroes staring Loki down with anger, as he raised his brow in challenge. The Widow seemed the only one not on edge. In fact, Loki could have sworn her lips twitched in a smirk as she held his gaze. It seemed she finally understood.

Ignoring her male counterparts, Natasha raised her hand to her earpiece. "Fury. We have the package. He's coming peacefully."

"Excuse me-" Tony interrupted, moving towards her, but the assassin ignored him.

"Have the Asgardian cuffs and a cell prepared. We're bringing him back to base." The Black Widow hadn't broken eye contact with Loki throughout her whole exchange, and now she smiled with dark humor, lowering her hand and tilting her head as she addressed him. "Your suite awaits, your Highness," she announced with a sweeping motion towards the elevator of the tower. "After You."

Loki twisted his lips into a matching smile of scorn, giving a slight bow of his head before walking to the open doors of the lift with his head high, his hands clasped behind his back- leaving all the other men standing with their mouths slightly agape as Natasha followed close behind him.

* * *

The ride to the New York S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters was not an enjoyable one. They had commandeered one of the Agency's vehicles and Tony now drove, with a freshly-clothed Bruce in the front seat trying to ignore the billionaire's blatant disrespect for road law and keep himself calm. Loki sat in the back with an air of regality, his back straight as the black SUV jostled along. Natasha and Thor flanked his sides on one wall-seat, with Steve and Clint sitting facing them on the opposite wall, a murderous glare in the Archer's eyes as he stared Loki down, his fingers playing along the fin of one of his arrows. Natasha had tried to calm him down, but she could hardly blame him for his hatred towards the Asgardian. She knew how it felt to be used for horrible devices. It was worse than Hell...

They came to a screeching halt outside of the base, throwing nearly everyone out of their seats; except, of course, for Tony, who had been expecting the sudden stop, and Natasha and Loki, who seemed to be too poised to be caught off guard by anything. As they piled out of the SUV they were met with a swarm of armed S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents in black armored gear and protective helmets. Natasha thought she saw a glint of amusement flash in Loki's eyes as the agents formed a barrier around him, but his face remained impassive.

One of the agents stepped forward and pressed a large, intricate piece of cold metal into the Widow's hands before backing away again to take his place in the tight ring around Loki and the Avengers. Romanoff looked down at the cuffs she held, making a quick study of them to figure out how they worked before she turned to Loki, who immediatly held his hands out in welcome invitation. She clapped the cool restraints around his wrists and the cuffs locked with a small _hiss_, the many gears and pistons inside the complex mechanism all clicking into place.

The Trickster remained silent, but Natasha hadn't missed the slight twitch in his cheek, almost as if he had tried to keep from wincing. She was almost curious what the cuffs felt like as they suppressed his innate ability to use magic, but she couldn't help feeling satisfied that they hurt at least a little bit. After all he'd done the past few days, he deserved it.

As none of the others had ever been inside the base, save for Barton, Natasha took to the head of their entourage, leading their group inside the building. Thor and Steve stood guard on either side of Loki, who had become rather subdued since leaving Stark Tower and walked between them silently. Bruce and Tony trailed behind the trio, with Clint taking up the rear and falling outside of the dense circle of the armed agents who swarmed as one around the heroes and their captured villain as they entered the Agency headquarters of New York. When they came to the elevator, the black-clad agents begin to move away from the front of the group, forming a tight wall around the doors so the Avengers could board it and Loki wouldn't have a chance to make a break for it- not that Natasha thought he would...

They boarded one after the other, Loki keeping himself situated between his brother and the Captain, with his back against the behind wall. Natasha was the last to board and stood by the panel of buttons as she quickly scanned the mass of dark bodies outside the lift. Her gaze found Barton's as she caught him standing at the back of the crowd, her eyes holding a slight question in them, but the Archer gave a curt shake of his head. She gave a minute nod, pressing the button for the basement holding cell floor, silently making a mental note to check in on her friend later. If he didn't want to answer Fury's questions right now, then she wouldn't make him. He deserved a break from Loki to recover from his mental wounds.

The doors closed and the elevator made a swift descent downwards. In mere moments they were sliding open again, revealing a new swarm of armored men standing in wait. Natasha strode out the doors with silent footfalls, not looking behind to see if the others were keeping pace with her. She made her way down the rows of highly secure holding cells, the agents in front of her nearly having to jog to keep from getting their heels stepped on. The assassin's ear caught an astonished whistle and she turned to see Stark out of the corner of her eye, inspecting the cells they passed with an air of wonderment.

"So this is where you guys keep all the big baddies, huh?" Tony asked no one in particular. "Didn't realize we had our very own Alcatraz right here in New York..." His eyes moved between each bare cell. "Where's the residents?"

Not slowing her pace, Natasha answered over her shoulder. "There aren't any. His _Royal Highness_ has the floor all to himself. We don't keep cells occupied for long." She let the threat in her answer hang in the air, and Tony replied with a quiet "Oh," seeming to catch the implication. Anyone bad enough to warrant a stay down here was swiftly questioned for necessary information and then disposed of.

A few more silent minutes of walking, and they finally reached the cell Fury had specially prepared to house the raven-haired prince for his (hopefully) brief stay. Natasha, Steve, and Thor escorted Loki inside, leaving the others outside the door of the cell. Loki walked into the cell like he already owned it, looking around the small quarters as if in admiration, though Natasha couldn't fathom why. It was merely a soundproof cube of stark white, save for the two-way mirror on the wall facing the hallway. The only furnishings were a thin bench hanging on one wall, and a toilet situated in the corner, the lights overhead so bright they made one's eyes water in protest. It wasn't as if it was anything special. It didn't even have a window.

"Fury will be down shortly, and then we'll talk." Natasha said, earning only a slight bow of the head from Loki in affirmation. "I trust you'll be comfortable until then?" She added in obvious sarcasm. Even though it was blatantly obvious she hadn't truly meant the question, as Loki's comfort was the last thing she was worried about right then, Loki answered anyway.

"I've stayed in far worse establishments, my dear. This is a veritable Valhalla." Loki gave a wry smile, and Natasha found herself wondering if that had something to do with his behavior towards the cell. Where could a prince of an alien paradise possibly have been housed that he'd find _this_ room comforting?

The Assassin smirked in reply, tilting her head to one side as she replied, "What a pity. I was hoping to make this your own personal Hell."

The humor left Loki's eyes as he sneered, leaning in close to her as he replied, "Oh, my dear girl. Your tortures would be mere _child's play_, compared to what I've survived."

His nose was mere inches from her own as he towered over her, his eyes like twin orbs of swirling green poison, but Natasha didn't so much as flinch, though she did hold up a hand to ward off the protective advances of both Thor and Steve. "We'll talk soon, Loki. Enjoy your last sense of peace while it lasts." And with that she turned on her heel and marched from the cell, Thor and Steve following her out after a moment of hesitation.

"I'll be here," Loki promised before the door shut behind them, and strangely, Natasha believed him. She wasn't sure why, but this seemed to be the one place Loki wanted to be at the moment. It was more than just a little unnerving.

As the door closed behind them, the three were met with the curious glances of Stark and Banner in the hallway, though all the other agents had since dispersed. "What was that all about?" Tony questioned, but didn't seem like he expected an answer. Romanoff shrugged, moving to stand in front of the two-way mirror to watch Loki pace slowly around the cell as they waited for Fury. She felt a presence move to stand beside her, but she didn't turn to look at them.

"You wanna explain why you gave princey in there _exactly_ what he wanted?"

She could tell Tony was glaring at her, though her gaze remained on the alien inside the sealed chamber. "And what would _you_ have suggested, Stark? Give him the opposite? Let him go free, without answering to his crimes?"

The engineer bristled at that. "I would have gagged the petty bastard and sent him to his timeout back on Cloud Cuckoo, where they know how to _handle_ his level of crazy."

Natasha rounded on him, her arms folded over her chest, seeming much taller than her meager height of five-foot-three. "Alright, so we send him back; and then what? We have no idea what's going on, Stark. We don't fully understand what happened, or who sent Loki- because after seeing his behavior, I really don't think he was working alone, do you?" She didn't wait for an answer, instead taking a step closer to glare at him. "We ship him off now to God-knows-where, and we have _nothing._ No names, no knowledge of future plans, _nothing_. And then the next time something comes for Earth? That's on us. And I don't know about you, but I have enough on my conscious without adding the deaths of _billions_." Tony almost flinched at her words, his ego visibly deflating. It wasn't by much, but it satisfied Natasha just the same.

"The Lady is correct, my friend," Thor mumbled from his place by the door. "My brother is very clever, but I doubt very much he'd garter enough sympathy to amass an army that vast in but a year's time. I... I hadn't thought of it before, but he must have acted on another's orders. Someone with more wealth and power."

"More wealth and power than a prince of a golden kingdom?" Steve asked, sounding dubious. "Who could possibly have that kind of influence?"

"That's exactly what we plan on finding out, Captain." The team turned as a collective, all meeting the one-eyed gaze of the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. as he strode towards them from the opposite end of the hall. "Loki wants to talk, then we'll talk," he continued as he came up and moved to stand beside Natasha, looking into the enclosure that the Trickster occupied, "But after he says his piece then he'll be answering our questions, one way or another."

Thor tensed, looking at Director Fury in anger. "You will not harm my brother," he warned, his tone low. The air prickled with a sudden electric charge as the god glared down Nick Fury, which was a feat in and of itself, Natasha thought, since many didn't have the nerve to even look sideways at the Director. Thor was either showing great courage, or great stupidity. She decided to intervene before something tragic befell either man.

"I have a funny feeling Loki will be more than happy to answer our questions un-prompted," the spy said before turning back to look at loki standing in the middle of the floor on the other side of the glass, staring at the opposite wall. Her narrowed eyes were calculating as she studied the younger prince, and when she spoke next, her tone had an edge of amusement in it. "Won't you, Loki?"

She hadn't even had to raise her voice, yet apparently the Trickster had heard her perfectly in his sound-proofed cell, for he turned his head around and met her gaze through the two-way glass with a smirk, raising his chin. When he replied to her observation, there was a vague air of respect to his tone. "Correct once more, Miss Romanoff."


	2. - For What It's Worth -

**A Villain Is Just A Victim Whose Story Hasn't Been Told**

**\- Chris Colfer**

* * *

Loki was slowly pacing back and forth in the small area of the cell, his eyes cast to the floor and his hands fidgeting restlessly in the tight cuffs in front of him as he seemed to be thinking over the best way to begin his explanation. "Right..." He paused in his pacing abruptly, his head cocked at a studious angle as he regarded the floor. "A great war is coming for your world, six years from now." His gaze flicked up to meet that of Agent Romanoff, and Natasha was surprised to find no malice behind his eyes; only a cool detachment. Like he was teaching a history class, or commenting on the weather; not as if he'd just declared his intentions to attempt conquering Earth a second time. She found it very perplexing. It wasn't as if he were someone who particularly cared about hiding his cruelty. He'd _basked _in it just a few hours ago.

The Director's eyebrows rose in consideration. "Is that a threat?" he spoke up from beside the Assassin, his arms crossed over his broad chest with his good eye trained on the god inside his brightly lit cage.

"A fact," Loki clarified.

"Earth has been in a constant state of war since it's birth thousands of years ago. Hell, we just put an end to the one that you started." Steve furrowed his brows, regarding Loki with curiosity. "What makes the one you're speaking of any different?"

"Because if not diverted, Midgard might just not survive this skirmish," Loki stated ominously, his dark gaze landing on the Captain, "Nor will well beyond half of the Universe."

Steve sobered at that, his head hanging forward in a slight nod as he crossed his arms over his chest, almost protectively. It was clear he was out of his depth here. Natasha felt bad for the poor man. Not even a year out of the ice, and now he had to deal with possible Universal warfare on top of everything else. It couldn't be easy. She turned her attention from the Captain, facing Loki once more and asked, "How are you so sure of this?"

"You've seen the work of the Tesseract?" It wasn't really a question, but they all nodded anyway. "More widely known as the Space Stone, the Tesseract is what is categorized as an Infinity Stone- one of six, in fact- and each possess powerful gifts." Loki looked at each of them in turn as he did his best to describe the science behind the Cube. "If you have the proper knowledge of it's workings, you can use the Stone to glimpse at possible events of the future, and when I snatched up the Cube and teleported away I saw one such glimpse of our futures. It was not a pleasant one..."

"Wait, you said 'ours'?" Tony questioned, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "So- not surprisingly- you brought this new horrible war to our doorsteps? You're not exactly helping your case here, Lord Blackwood."

"As a matter of fact, at this time six years from now, I am quite dead." Loki smiled as if his own death amused him, but the others were intrigued by this statement.

The team all looked at one-another in question before the Widow turned towards Loki, taking a small step in front of the others to stand before the glass. "Why don't you start at the beginning," Natasha suggested, as the team collectively came to the silent agreement to let her take the lead on this one. She seemed to be better at handling the Trickster.

They all stood quietly as Loki started pacing once more, the motion seeming to do something to help clear his mind. "Roughly one year ago, I was...recruited by a being called Thanos to join his forces on a 'noble quest to preserve Life as we know it'..." His tone turned sarcastic at the last part, his lips curling in a sneer as he scoffed. "I refused at first, but he has certain _talents_ which proved to make a very compelling argument on his behalf. He spent months persuading me to pledge him my loyalty, and after a time I relented. That was when he told me how he planned to bring about the Universe' salvation; by destroying half of all living things. To do so, he needs all six of the Stones, so he tasked me with retrieving the Tesseract. To sweeten the deal for me, he said he'd allow me to assume control of this planet and it's vast resources as I continue the hunt for the remaining Stones under his command." Loki smirked. "As you can see, I accepted."

"But you gave it all up and surrendered," Natasha stated, her mind reeling as she puzzled through his words. Her brows furrowed in confusion. "Why?"

Loki chuckled with cool amusement, his look almost condescending, as if she should know the answer by now. "Oh my sweet Spider, that was my plan all along. I even told you as much the first time we interacted." He tilted his head, smirking. "Remember?" At their looks of confusion, he rolled his eyes in obvious exasperation of their ignorance, and elaborated. "I _wanted_ to lose. Do you see now? I wanted to fail in my conquest and lose control of the Tesseract and the Scepter he had entrusted me with in the process, all while looking completely faultless for my defeat. Thus making it that much more difficult for him to obtain all six Stones. I had studied you all enough to roughly determine the outcome of my capture, but after you failed to follow my expectations at first I had to improvise a bit. Though I'd say it still went rather well, considering..."

"And do you happen to have any proof to corroborate your very elaborate tale?" Natasha asked, her lips set in a grim line as her eyebrow rose. "Even you have to admit this all sounds pretty far fetched..."

"It does, doesn't it? It's all so very convoluted and entertaining I almost don't believe it myself... It's a _marvelous_ story." Loki grinned in amusement, clearly enjoying himself. "But I have your proof, darling. Check the security footage of my arrival a few days ago. Pay special attention to my _eyes_. My very _blue_ eyes. That will prove I was at least partially under Thanos' persuasion. As for the proof of the Tesseract's vision- Well, you won't much like it, but to show you all that will require you to remove my restraints, I'm afraid." His amusement grew at Tony's sudden outburst of indignation at that idea.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT-"

"Brother, you cannot possibly be serious-"

"Look here, Loki; we're not just going to release you because you said _pretty please-"_

Loki stepped back as he watched the men before him with glee as they all lost their tempers and began shouting at the glass separating them from the Trickster. Even Fury seemed perturbed at the notion of them removing Loki's cuffs.

...though none of the men seemed to realize that Natasha had moved to unlock the door of the cell, until Steve saw her entering it out of the corner of his eye and lunged to grab her but missed, his hand grasping empty air as she slipped inside the bright cube. The door slid shut behind her with a hiss and Loki laughed outright as she stood in front of him with her arms crossed over her chest. "You can show us concrete proof?" she questioned, ignoring the mischievous glint in Loki's eyes as they stared each other down.

"Why of course, Agent Romanoff. Whatever could cause you to question me?" He smirked, clearly enjoying this game. His grin expanded when she rolled her eyes and moved forward to grasp his bound hands, which he held aloft expectantly.

"Are you sure about this, Romanoff?" Fury called to her, though she ignored him as she reached for the suppressing cuffs, pretending not to hear the loud complaints of the Avengers outside the glass as her fingers worked to undo the intricate locking system.

Loki leaned towards her just enough so she- and no one else- could hear his whispers. "You trust me, Pet?" His lips curled up in a sneer.

"Not at all," she responded, her sage-colored eyes darting up to meet his for a brief moment. "But I think you have no where else to run to, or else you'd be there. So I'm giving you a chance to prove yourself." He sobered somewhat at that, and the protests and banging on the glass came to a stop as Natasha removed the restraints with a final _hiss_ from the pistons and Loki rubbed his now-bare wrists, letting out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief as his Seidr flowed back to him.

Loki's eyes followed her as Natasha took a step back and made a 'Go on,' gesture. "Very well." He smirked, raising his right hand and making a small twisting motion with his wrist. A blue glow filled the room as the summoned Tesseract appeared and floated just over his palm. Natasha sucked in a small breath at the sight of the powerful object and took another few steps back as the glowing cube rested in Loki's palm. He turned it in his grasp, inspecting it. "Nobody move," he warned, before waving his left hand over the cube to activate the stone. A blue glow burst from the Tesseract and spread out, quickly filling his cell and the hallway beyond as it changed the landscape around them.

Tony gasped loudly and tried to jump back as a mangled rodent-like body appeared at his feet, and Steve quickly grasped his shoulder to calm him. "It's not real," he said in a low voice, but Loki heard him nonetheless.

"Oh, I'm afraid it's quite real, Captain." Loki made a waving motion with his arm, gesturing to the ruin around them. "This is your future in six years time, if your path continues unchanged."

Natasha looked around in a mix of horror and wonder. They appeared to be standing in a large field bordered by tree-covered hills on all sides, a bright blue sky overhead. Based off of the climate, it appeared to be somewhere in Africa. There was a battle raging on around them- a battle they seemed to be losing, the warriors outnumbered by the rat-like creatures they fought nearly a hundred to one. Bodies fell left and right, and thunder rumbled. She took a closer look at some of the warriors and thought she saw Steve fighting alongside a man with long hair, but this Captain Rogers was very different. His hair was longer. He had a full beard, and his uniform was darkly colored and stained with crusted blood.

A man swooped down from the sky on metal wings to fire at some of the alien creatures, a girl with long red hair was throwing bodies around with scarlet-colored energy that flowed from her hands, and a- was that a raccoon shooting a rifle? She didn't know these people. This couldn't possibly be the future. How in the seven circles of Hell did they have a raccoon fighting on their team? But then she saw it. A flash of blonde hair. A familiar choreographed attack move she'd learned as a child, and a whirling kick to an advancing enemy. She'd know her fighting style anywhere, but when the blonde woman turned so Natasha could see her face, she couldn't believe that this would be her just six years from now. She looked so tired and broken. How bad could things have gotten in so short a time? In shock, Natasha turned to look at her team in the present to gauge their reactions, and found similar looks of disbelief on their features.

Steve appeared to be nearly to the point of breaking down, his knees shuddering as his eyes filled with tears. "Bucky?" he whispered softly, his gaze locked on the man with the long brown hair, his hand reaching out almost unconsciously for him as the vision from the future ran past, completely unaware of the emotional Captain just feet away from him.

Tony was staring in awe at a giant version of his red and gold suit, his eyes glittering with amazement. Bruce didn't seem to know where to look, and Fury watched everything with a deep-set scowl. Thor seemed to be the worst of all, staring at the future version of himself fighting a giant purple man and crying shamelessly, swiping at his tears with the back of his hand. "My _hair_..." Natasha saw Loki roll his eyes out of the corner of her vision.

They watched for what felt like hours, but could really only have been a few moments. The fighting continued on, until suddenly, one by one, nearly every warrior there began to turn to dust and blow away with the breeze, their remaining allies looking on in terrified confusion.

"W-what's happening?" Natasha rounded on Loki, her chest constricting with panic. The rest of the present-day Avengers all looked frozen in shock- save for the Director, who just looked confused- but Natasha felt like running and doing something, _anything_ to help. She couldn't just stand by and watch, though she knew nothing she did could stop what was happening. This was just a vision. Still, that did nothing to ease the ache in her chest.

The god had an oddly calm look on his face as he replied to her simply, "Thanos." Loki watched as fighters continued to blow away into nothing, their bodies now just dust on the wind. "He's done it. He fulfilled his self-proclaimed destiny." And with that he let the vision fade away, the cube once more ceasing to glow in his hand before he placed it back in his dimensional pocket with a small twist of his wrist.

Bruce now seemed on the verge of losing control of himself, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he did his best not to Hulk-out. "That- you said that happens six years from now?" he asked, reverting to his coping method of asking questions as he tried to unjumble the mess of thoughts racing through his mind and calm his racing heart.

"It has happened already," Loki corrected, his demeanor calm as he turned his attention to the Doctor. Natasha was grateful he didn't worsen the situation by making Bruce go Green. "That is a memory from an alternate timeline, unknowingly put into the cube by someone who has traveled here from that future time, albeit eleven years from now, rather than six."

"How is that possible?" Steve demanded, recovering from his own shock from the vision.

"You saw one of them, did you not?" Loki questioned, his eyes oddly bright as if he knew a secret that the others hadn't discovered yet. "There were four men in total who traveled here to borrow this timeline's Stones. They weren't here for long, but just their presence alone changed our path from the one they had taken at this point in their time."

Steve's eyes widened in realization. "The other...well, _me_." He looked at Loki in disbelief. "I thought that was you, but when you mentioned Bucky, I..." He trailed off, and Natasha suspected he couldn't continue with the lump clearly building up in his throat. Whoever this "Bucky" was, he had clearly meant a lot to Steve, and if what she suspected was true then Steve had likely thought him dead before now.

Loki nodded. "So you saw one of them after all."

"Then Bucky's still alive?" Steve asked, his voice breaking with emotion, clearly fighting the hope that was building within him.

Loki seemed to think on this for a moment before replying carefully, "I cannot speculate on much concerning the future, as ours will already be slightly different than that of the Time Travelers... however, if he is, you will know for certain within the next two years, if I have the times correct."

"And eleven years from now?" Natasha spoke up, doing her best to mask her own emotions over this whole ordeal. "What happens then?"

Loki sighed, shaking his head gravely. "Trust me, none of you want to see that," he said darkly. A shiver ran down the spy's spine, her spirit dropping. If Loki wouldn't even tell them what had happened, then it must be truly horrible, indeed.

Tony seemed to finally have built up his courage enough to speak once more, though he was obviously shaken over what Loki had shown them. "And how do we know you're telling the truth?" he asked, though he was missing his usual cocky demeaner.

With a shrug, the Asgardian replied, "You won't, I suppose, until events start to unfold. But I guarantee, within three years you will all believe what I have told you." He raised his chin in determination, his resolve on the matter clearly stating he had no fear of the opposite. "When Metal comes to life and threatens your world, you will know I spoke of the truth."

"And you're prepared to stay down here until such time?" Fury questioned.

"Absolutely not," Loki scoffed with clear disgust at the notion. "I have my own events on Asgard to thwart before they become reality; I haven't the time nor patience to wile away the years in your Nornforsaken basement. Whether you decide to believe me or not, I am leaving."

At the mention of his beloved home, Thor stopped moping over the loss of his long golden locks in the memory of the future and looked up at Loki, his attention fully on his younger adoptive brother. "What has happened on Asgard?" he asked worriedly, ever vigilante in his duty to his realm.

"Nothing," Loki said simply, then shrugged, adding, "yet..."

"Loki..." Thor warned, his face clouding over in annoyed anger.

"Dark Elves," Loki snapped shortly, his own annoyance growing. He appeared to have an extremely short temper when it came to Thor. "One year from now. And though I would usually revel in watching Asgard burn to the ground, I will not again let Mother-" Loki cut himself off, his eyes suddenly flashing with emotion, and Thor bristled.

"Mother? What becomes of her?!"

"Thor-" Loki's voice cracked as he tilted his head, not wanting to say more. But Natasha had read between the lines, and from the look of terror and grief that passed over Thor's face, so had he...

"We are leaving. Now. Loki will face punishment on Asgard for the crimes he has committed," Thor declared with finality, turning to face Director Fury. From the look he leveled on the one-eyed man, it was clear there was no room for argument. He stormed towards the cell and raised his hammer.

"Thor-!" Natasha jumped back with a yelp as Thor's hammer came down on the lock of the door, effectively smashing it and sending a jolt of strong electricity through the circuits, shorting out the entire hallway and leaving them in darkness. There were the sounds of a scuffle and a whispered argument, and then suddenly the room was filled with a flash of blue light, and then everything went silent.

"Somebody get me some lights in here!" The Director shouted into his earpiece, and moments later there were a dozen agents stomping down the hall with swaying flashlights, illuminating the scene around them. The door-lock embedded in the wall was still shorting out, occasional sparks flying from the touchscreen panel. The door to the cell had been ripped open, and Natasha lay inside propped against the corner, holding her head and groaning softly. The cell was otherwise empty, and Fury cursed loudly.

Steve was inside the cell in an instant, carefully helping Natasha to her feet as Tony and Bruce inspected the area.

"Gone," Tony sighed, slumping against the wall with exhaustion. It really had been a long day... "My guess would be they're back in Cloudsdale by now." He looked around at the others, his energy clearly spent. "Anyone up for some Schwarma?" he suggested halfheartedly.

They all looked at Tony in breathless resignation for a long moment, until Steve began to chuckle softly. It seemed like the only proper response for the situation they'd found themselves in. It didn't take long for Tony to join in, followed quickly by Bruce and a reluctant Natasha, until everyone was laughing so hard they were wiping tears from their eyes. Dear God, why did things always have to get so messed up? The poor Shield agents who had absolutely no idea what was going on had begun to shuffle away down the hallway once more, leaving behind some flashlights to help the Avengers find their way back to the elevator.

After they had all calmed down and caught their breath once more, Steve started nodding to himself, looking at Tony with a slight grin. "Schwarma," he agreed before letting out a sigh, his arm still around Natasha's shoulders.

* * *

Back on Asgard, Odin shielded his eyes as a bright blue burst of light filled the golden halls of the palace throne room, bouncing off the metallic surfaces until it was almost blinding. When he lowered his arms once more, he saw his eldest son standing before him, holding a very disgruntled looking Loki by the scruff as the younger of the princes lowered the bright cube he held in his right hand before flashing a grin up at the elderly man, his familiar emerald irises dancing with his usual mischief. "Hello, _Father_..."

* * *

**Yay, another chapter! I'm terribly sorry it's taken so long, but I hope you all enjoyed it. Hopefully I can get the next one up much sooner...**

**Thank you all so much for all of the follows, favorites, and especially the reviews. Your kind words are what inspire me to write more!**

**Enjoy your weekend, and farewell until next chapter!**


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